History From the Heart: Difficult Pasts and Possible Futures in the Heterogeneous Doukhobor Community in Canada

This thesis shares the results of oral history interviews with members of the heterogeneous Doukhobor community in Canada. The stories and memories of fifteen different voices highlight the influence of intersecting demographic variables (age, gender, ideological affiliation, and geographic location) on the experience of Doukhobor life in Canada during times of sensationalized conflict. The interviews are framed and analyzed through broader questions of history and cultural sustainability. What considerations influence the representation of difficult Doukhobor pasts in Canada? In the contemporary context of unification and reconciliation, how does one speak of conflict? This thesis shows that discussions of the past surface considerable contradiction in the collective memory of the Doukhobor community; the results outline various individual and community strategies that are used to manage the past in favour of the present. Ultimately, this thesis locates memory as a social and cultural anchor that must support a history for the future.MAS